Welcome Back EPL. Let’s Start From Where We Stopped…

Dear EPL, while you were away, a lot happened but how about we talk about the last time you were around town?

With his turbulent reign in the Capital of Spain coming to an end, He had alerted the English he was on his way back. He had bn away 6years. His first coming had brought 2Premier League titles, 2League Cups and 2FACups. What was the proverbial second coming going to be like?

He sure didn’t disappoint. The team had changed from the one he built in 2004 but, the man hadn’t changed. That definitely, had to change.

The driver had other ideas. Jose Mourinho knew his side weren’t ready. Arsenal were breathing down their necks, so were City & a Suarez-inspired Liverpool. He called his team ‘the little horse’ despite their place on the log. Sandwiched between only the Reds & the Citizens, he was mad, one must have thought…. He was right in the end! Their lack of a STRIKER( due respect to Torres, Eto’o & Ba again) ultimately cost them dear. The sharpness and aggressiveness that characterized Chelsea forwards were sorely lacking.

The little horse and the rider went about how to make their horse drink and grow. Shrewd and sweet-talked acquisitions arrived. Costa(the vampire that replaced Suarez) had shown the street-kid’s STRIKER’S thirst that was lacking, Cesc ‘Fabrepass’ added creativity to a midfield that had it in excess, Filipe Luis was to provide competition for Cesar Azpilicueta while the ‘most important’ acquisitions of King Drogba and Loic Remy only proved to be the polish on an already beautiful ride.

People talked of boring Chelsea, but it is rather easy for people to forget how this ‘BORING’ Chelsea entertained us in the first half of the season playing with a swagger second to none. They attacked with freedom and flair. It is so sad that Chelsea are now the benchmark for defending and not for attacking when they should be for both.

Put aside the siege mentality that the media claimed he put in his players. Forget the ‘FA campaign against Chelsea’ talk… People seemed to forget that he actually made sense. While he had his excesses (Hello Wenger), Mourinho was a man who loved his job (sometimes ‘overloved’ it), had mastered the art of winning and knew how football worked these days. No matter how beautiful the football you play, it is meaningless without titles (Ask Brendan Rodgers). Its quite sad that people (some) didn’t want to see this. Arsene Wenger had leaned towards this school of thought (See Arsenal’s 2-0 win at City). There are times when you need to grind out results: Outsmart your opponent, Entertain the fans, Bore out the fans as long as the result comes.

“I don’t care how I win, as long as I win”

– Floyd Mayweather

That’s where we ended last season. Chelsea ticked all those boxes last season and they became deservedly Champions. They sat atop the log table since Day 1 with wins like the scrappy 2-1 win at Anfield, the 1-0 win against United, the ‘BORING’ 0-0 draw at the Emirates, the 6-3 win at Everton & the 3-0 wins at Villa and Spurs. There were epic lows too. The 5-3 loss at White Hart lane & the 2-1 loss at Newcastle. They all summed up the Blues title triumph.

Goal of the Season? via DailyMail

How can I forget that Charlie Adam goal, the Rooney K.O, the City FALL OUT, the White Hart Lane London-Derby drama, the Koeman miracle and more? Welcome back Premier League. I MISSED YOU!

Author: Rotimi “Papi the Great” Daramola

Rotimi Daramola aka Papi the Great is the owner of ForTheGoal.

A freelance sports writer who focuses on football, Rotimi is also a freelance writer, a copywriter and a football analyst who regularly appears on radio and television to talk football. You can follow him on twitter @papi_thegreat to keep up with his writings, engage him and also find out about how you can secure his writing services.

Share this via:

Related

Rotimi Daramola aka Papi the Great is the owner of ForTheGoal.
A freelance sports writer who focuses on football, Rotimi is also a freelance writer, a copywriter and a football analyst who regularly appears on radio and television to talk football. You can follow him on twitter @papi_thegreat to keep up with his writings, engage him and also find out about how you can secure his writing services.